An Ounce

 Have you ever watched one of those old Sci-Fi Movies? Like the one where the ants become gigantic because of nuclear radiation, or the one where aliens’ invade. Or how ‘bout this one – The Blob, with Steve McQueen, where a green gelatinous blob from outer space arrives and grows bigger as it devours everything – and then everything changes and the crisis passes – and life goes on in spite of the losses. 

What if something like that really happened. 

Well, believe it or not – it has. 

At first, it was just a glistening but shapeless cloud in the sky. It looked kinda’ like a huge advancing snow storm, or maybe smoke. It was so massive it blocked out the sun. 

And then, the cloud descended out of the sky. 

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 Have you ever heard the name Joseph Figlock? There is an amazing story to tell here, as he was a babe magnet like no other. 

Not even Giacomo Casanova can rival the remarkable story of Joseph Figlock. 

Mr. Figlock live in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1930s. He did not seem to be especially remarkable. At the time he came to this man was noticed he was a Middle-aged man, who wore glasses, whose hairline was beginning to recede. He wasn’t famous, rich, or powerful. He was not remarkable smart, or even a beguiling conversationalist. 

He was an employee of the public works department for the city of Detroit. His job – street sweeper. Yet the man proved to be a real babe magnet – but not perhaps in the way you might think. 

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 Sometimes there are things that occur in our world that just leave you – well – kind of flabbergasted. One of those happenings was the Great Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876. 

According to reports in the press at the time, this is what happened. The 3rd of March 1876 was a perfectly clear, sun filled day. Just before noon, Mrs. Crouch was outside her home, cooking up a stink. She was involved in a necessarily odoriferous enterprise. She was boiling down a big batch of lard and lye soap. This was typically accomplished with a large cast iron pot, over an open fire. 

And then - she got the shock of her life. Without warning - there were chucks of red meat cascading down all around - out of cloudless blue sky. Mrs. Crouch said, the meat, which looked like beef. “Fell like large snowflakes”. 

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 Coincidence – Two or more random incidents happening in a manner that bring about a seemingly coordinated, or synchronized and connected result. 

Some folks say there are no coincidences. Nothing really ever happens by accident. They believe everything overseen by the divine, and that there is purpose and coordination to the whole. 

What do you think? 

As odd coincidences go, 1908 was an interesting year. 

In 1908, Nicola Tesla conducting experiments at his Wardenclyffe facility, in Shoreham, Long Island, New York. Tesla was working on the transmission of energy from one point to another without wires. 

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 What would you want to find in a new job? The perfect job? 

Great benefits? 

Flexible hours? 

Doing something that matters? 

A chance for growth and advancement? 

A positive and supportive corporate environment? 

The ability to work from home – or the office – or where ever you choose? 

Bonuses - Perks – A company car? 

Well, here’s a job announcement you might absolutely love. Allow me to read it to you: 

Wanted. Young, Skinny, Wiry Fellows, not over 18. Must be expert riders, and willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages - $25 per week. 

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 On April 12, 1861, the first shots of the civil war were fired as confederate forces opened up on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. 

It was a battle without casualties. At least, at the moment that the Union Surrendered to Confederate General Beauregard, no one had died. 

As the Stars and Stripes were lowered, a one-hundred-gun salute was given by the northern forces. That’s when it happened. A canon on the union side experienced an accidental discharge, and Private Danial Hough was killed – by accidental friendly fire. 

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 Have you ever heard a determined person say, “I’m gonna’ do it, or die trying”. 

I have. And I might have even said it a time or to. Gratefully, death didn’t actually need to be a part of the equation. 

There was a man by the name of Frank Hayes who might have uttered this same phrase a few times. Frank was a jockey. He rode in Steeple Chase. 

Frank was well known around the track. He started as a stable hand, and until finally got his shot as a jockey. Most folks found Frank an affable guy with an easy smile. He was quick with a joke, and easy to be around. 

This is the story of his first winning race. 

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 When I was about 7 or 8 years old my family used to have some fun traditions. One of which occurred with regularity on Thursday evenings. 

Mom would make homemade French fries from fresh cut potatoes. And, there were hamburgers with all the fixings, and if we were lucky maybe even some root beer. 

As I remember it - The whole family, Dad, mom, my sisters and brother, would watch Star Trek (The original Series), o a black and white TV, while enjoying dinner from paper plates. Dad was a bit of  Sci-Fi fan, and I suppose his liking for that genera rubbed off on me too. 

Star Trek made real, a future with space travel, powerful handheld electronics, transporters, phasers, communicators, talking computers, and unbelievable space aliens. 

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 He was kind of an unusual guy. From his youth, folks noticed he was not the typical inner-city Jersey Boy. He was spontaneous and quirky, but at the same time thoughtful and kind. 

Two days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, on Dec 9, 1941, he joined the marine corps. His country meant something to him – it deserved to be defended. He would have signed up sooner, but he had to convince his mom to sign the papers allowing him to enlist at age 17. 

The war years passed, and during battles in the pacific, he had seen much more than ever really wanted to. 

And now, as the transport shipped was pulled up to the pier - he was really home – the war was over – he survived. And now he had something he had not allowed himself to count on having - he had a future. 

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 This is a rather strange tale from history, and the military industrial complex. A story that illustrates that when there is a will, there is a way, and sometimes that creates some rather odd results. 

The story begins in 1959 when, then Vice President Nixon, and Soviet Premier Nikita – pound the shoe on the table while saying “we will crush you” – Khrushchev, met in Moscow, about two years after the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile had been successfully tested by the United States. The venue – The American National Exhibition in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park. 

The pair, both with strong convictions and personalities, began to discuss the virtues of communism and capitalism. It was clear the two were not like-minded, and the conversation was quickly heating up. 

Before the quickly escalating exchange came to a head, the President of Pepsi International, Donald Kendall, offered both a nice cool drink of Pepsi – and a Soviet National Love affair began. 

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 During the opening days of British involvement in World War 2 there was a great threat in the seas. This threat was embodied by the German battleship – the Bismarck. The enormous and powerful 41,700-ton Nazi battle wagon was lurking around the shipping lanes and had the potential to easily cut off shipping to the English isles, starving it of needed supplies. 

In May 1941 the British Navy launch a ‘must win’ operation to locate and sink this largest ever battleship ever built. 

The Royal Navy finally found the Bismarck. Over a matter of weeks playing hide and seek through the clouds, the Brits bombarded the Bismarck from the sea and air. The British took every opportunity presented to hit the gigantic war machine, But so shielded was the great juggernaut that bombs and shells seemed to bounce off the sides like rocks. However, they kept at it, and the Bismarck was finally sunk. 

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 The World’s Olympic Games. An amazing showcase of athletic ability and sportsmanship. People can train for years to perform and compete for a few moments. Every event showcases the best of the best for all over the world. But, sometimes, things just don’t go ... well … as well as expected. 

For example, in 1904, in St. Louis. The Olympic Games were paired with the world’s fair. And for the first time in modern history, the games took place in the western hemisphere. 

It was August in St. Louis. It was hot. It was humid. The runners had a rather challenging 24.85-mile course (yes, it’s supposed to be 26.2). It was hilly, largely unpaved, and dusty. And then, the race started

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Back in the days before sanitary conditions and anesthesia were a thing, priorities in preforming surgery were valued a bit differently than they are today. One of the greatest priorities to improve patent survival was speed. 

The longer a patient was on the table, the more blood they would lose, the more pain they would feel, the more likely there were to have some kind of infection, or die of shock. In other words – the quicker it happened - the better the chance the patient might live. 

Surgery was an absolutely frightening prospect. And there were in fact a few issues with getting the patent to cooperate when their life was at stake. 

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 Here is a twisted tale of how pirates raiding a ship in the Caribbean in Sea caused hundreds of years of ongoing disorder in world trade. 

In the 1793 a man named Joseph Dombey was crossing the Atlantic with a rather small set of objects. These were carefully packed and protected within a sturdy 3-inch by 3-inch copper cylinder, with a little copper carrying handle on top. This man, and his little copper case, were intended to be presented to none other than Thomas Jefferson, a founding father, the then Secretary of State, and future President, of the United States of America. 

Unfortunately, during the crossing of the Atlantic, a fierce storm blew the ship, sailing under a French flag, well off course and deep into the  Caribbean. 

The ship, it’s cargo, and its French emissary to the United States with his little copper canister fell into some trouble, and were boarded by English Privateers – also known as pirates.

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Recorded live on February 14, 2023, during the Virtual Linguists, Toastmasters International, online meeting.

Ever wondered, “Have I been Jinxed”? 

Have you had things pile up on you, events occur, trouble seem to follow you? I guess it might be possible to be cursed, vexed, or jinxed. Though we may have our suspicions, in the long view of things we may well find that it’s just not so. That dark cloud that shows up and ruins everything won't follow us forever and ruin everything. 

Most importantly, we all have the power to fight that paranoia head on. It has to do with where we focus our attention. Expect the worst and that’s what you will find. But, look for the good, seek the positive, and you’ll find that too. 

The question is, what are you looking for? 

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An interview with Brent Averett, with a story about how quality matters.

Brent talks about how a principle of quality applies to a good knife, and to life. Yes, it may mean you have to pay more, work harder, and do better to enjoy the benefits of quality. But the return is worth the sacrifice.

You can find Brent online at www.mrknifeguy.com, or:

Mr. KnifeGuy® is located at:
1127 W Sunset Blvd
St, George, UT 84770

Call or Text us at:
435-565-6433 or “HELLO-KNIFE”

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 With everything we know about our planet, with satellite imagery, GPS systems, and so much more, there isn’t much of our planet that hasn’t been seen. But there are still some incredibly remote places on earth. The kinds of places people don’t get to very often. 

On the list of those remote locations are places where people aren’t very comfortable. Places where extremes in the environment make it tough to want to be there for too long. Remote deserts, rugged wilderness, and Arctic regions are among these. 

Spurred on by the need for accurate weather forecasting during the second world war, the military forces on both sides did some pretty unusual things. They would secretly place observers here and there, or monitor weather reports on commercial radio stations, or in local newspapers, in order to get an edge in predicting future weather conditions and how they would impact military operations. 

The Germans went so far as to sneak compact, self-contained, automatic weather stations into enemy territory. 

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When I was about 6 or 7 years old, a friend of the family dropped in to visit. I don’t remember his name, but I do remember, he brought a dog with him. 

The dog was less than a year old, and very well-trained. He was a black medium poodle, with a great disposition, who loved to play. 

I am not sure what the negotiations were like. All I know is when the friend of the family left later that day, Jocko stayed. 

I was so excited I walked to every home in the neighborhood with Jocko on a leash, knocked on the door, and introduced him. 

“This is my new dog – just wanted you to get to know him ‘cause he’ll be around the neighborhood.” And then off I went to the next house. 

Jocko, in spite of his awkward master, was very well accepted in the neighborhood, and by my brother and sisters. 

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There was wisdom in the destruction. 

At the time, there was a real possibility that if the Japanese attacked Hawaii again, they could defeat the US military there and occupy the Islands. 

And, if they did, they would likely do the same thing they had done before in other locations. Confiscate all the money, and use the cash to bankroll their military. 

Then somebody came up with a brilliant idea – let’s get rid of all the cash before they get here! 

They could gather it up, and send by ship back to the mainland – but no – what if the Japanese captured the ship? That was just too risky. 

But if they just burned it all – yes – that would work! 

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It was January 1835, and King Richard was in Washington, DC. As he approached his target, his hand slipped inside his coat, and he drew out a pistol… and shot it at Andrew Jackson, the Sitting President of the United States. The pistol misfired, so he dropped it and withdrew a second, and pulled the trigger, but the second pistol misfired as well. The determined king had failed to kill the President. 

To his credit, the fiery Andrew Jackson, was upon the murderous king immediately, beating him to the ground with his walking stick. 

The incident ended as King Richard the third was fully subdued by Davy Crockett and Navy Lieutenant Thomas Gedney - 

OK – if you’ve actually be listening, you have noticed this little story sounds just a bit, well, crazy. 

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